Apple News and Rumors for May 29th

Let’s get right to this week’s rumors involving the upcoming Worldwide Developers’ Conference, a new Zune, and an exciting rumor from PokerStars.

Apple’s Keynote Address for June 8th Announced

Apple posted a press release on its website announcing that the keynote address on Monday, June 8th will be led by Philip Schiller, Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing. The Worldwide Developers’ Conference will offer in-depth sessions about the new iPhone OS 3.0 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Other activities include over 100 technical sessions on a wide range of topics specific to the two operating systems and one-on-one direction for hands-on lab sessions. It’s also widely expected that Apple will announce two new iPhone models.

Apple Tested by New “HD Zune” from Microsoft

Microsoft unveiled the “Zune HD,” which will feature a full touch screen display. The resolution will be lower than the iPod Touch by a hair, but the unit will be a little smaller and use an OLED screen, which produces better colors and less battery. Critics who have had a chance to interact with the device have given it solid reviews, although Microsoft has a mountain to climb since the device is coming out a year and a half after the iPod Touch originally hit store shelves.

Free 8GB iPod Touch for Students

Apple kicked off the back-to-school promotional season, offering a free 8GB iPod touch to students and teachers who purchase a Mac. The promotion offers a $229 online rebate that matches the price of an 8GB iPod Touch and is awarded to those who purchase a new MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac Pro computer. Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution is eligible as are faculty, staff, and students of educational institutions.

Rumors Flying Regarding a Jobs Return

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Steve Wozniak met with Steve Jobs and said that the Apple chief sounded “healthy” and “energetic” with a little over a month left before his schedule return. Although there is no official known role for Jobs when he returns, it has been reported that it will be in a reduced role, specifically as Chairman. There was one report from AppleInsider.com that said that Jobs was even recently spotted on the Apple campus.
PokerStars to Possible Extended Instant Bonuses

According to multiple sources, the rumors that PokerStars will extend its “Conceirge Rate” instant bonuses in June are practically a sure thing. This month, the popular online poker room posted three instant bonuses totaling $184 for 11,500 Frequent Player Points (FPPs). Rumors are flying that the site will go further and offer instant bonuses for high-volume SuperNova players in June.